Object recognition by touch screen

ABSTRACT

Devices, systems and methods are described that can facilitate recognition of an engagement between an object and a touch screen in the absence of human contact. Upon the engagement, an electrically conductive path can be established that extends from a surface of the touch screen such that sufficient electrons flow from the touch screen through the electrically conductive path to enable the recognition of the object on the touch screen in the absence of human contact with the object during continued presence of the object on the touch screen.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/503,928, filed Oct. 1, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/885,193, filed Oct. 1, 2013 andentitled OBJECT RECOGNITION BY TOUCH SCREEN. The subject matter of theseapplications is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to devices, systems and methods toenable an object to be detected by a touch screen in the absence ofhuman contact.

BACKGROUND

Various user input devices can provide an interactive surface configuredto receive user inputs. For example, a touch screen or touch-sensitivepad can be used as input devices to different computing devices,including tablet computing devices, mobile phones, and laptop computingdevices. As a further example, capacitive touch screens can detect aninput when a human body (or a conductive object contacting the humanbody) touches the screen, but not when a non-conductive object touchesthe screen. This distinction is generally due to the electricalcharacteristics of the human body that can change the capacitance of thescreen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict an example configuration of an object that can bedetected by a touch screen in the absence of human contact.

FIGS. 3-5 depict example configurations of the contact surface of theobject that can engage with a corresponding surface of the touch screen.

FIGS. 6-9 depict example configurations of a contact on an externalsurface of the object that can interface with a contact on a surface ofan aperture of a housing.

FIG. 10 depicts an example configuration of the housing that can be usedin the detection of the object by the capacitive touch screen in theabsence of human contact.

FIGS. 11-13 depict an example configuration of the housing with twoapertures.

FIGS. 14 and 15 depict example systems that can facilitate the detectionby a touch screen device of the object upon establishing an engagementwith the touch screen in the absence of human contact.

FIG. 16 depicts an example of a method for recognizing an engagementbetween an object and a capacitive touch screen in the absence of humancontact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure relates to devices, systems and methods to enable atouch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch screen, a touch pad or the like)to detect an object in the absence of direct human contact. When theobject engages with the touch-sensitive surface with or without humancontact, an electrically conductive path can be established extendingfrom the touch-sensitive surface. The path can establish a sufficientflow of electrons to enable the electrical characteristics (e.g.,capacitance) of the touch-sensitive surface to change so that theengagement can be detected even in the absence of human contact.

The devices systems and methods are particularly suitable forimplementing a quantitative test for assessing and/or diagnosingneurological and/or neurocognitive disorders. As an example, a nine-holepeg or similar test device can include a housing that is placed on to atouch-sensitive surface and include a plurality of holes into which pegsor other objects can be inserted by a user. Since the object can bedetected by the touch-sensitive surface in the absence of contact by thesubject, based on an electrically conductive path that is establishedwhen a given peg is inserted into a hole to contact the touch-sensitivesurface, each peg can be detected during the test even after it isreleased by the user. As a result, the touch screen interface andassociated processor can be programmed to quantify the results of thetest to help diagnose and assess a patient's condition.

The device, system and methods disclosed herein used in conjunction witha computing device enable both assessment of quantity of movement aswell as quality of movements. Moreover, each task performed can beevaluated individually and can be combined as a series for aggregateevaluation. This further make possible at-home or off-site testing fortests that typically need to be administered by trained technicians. Forsake of consistency, in the following examples, the touch-sensitivesurface is described as surface of touch screen.

FIG. 1 depicts an example device 10 that includes an object 20 thatincludes a contact surface 22 that is configured to engage a surface oftouch screen. For example the contact surface can be one or more ends orother surface portion thereof. The object 20 is further configured toestablish an electrically conductive path 40 that extends from thecontact surface 22, along or though the object to a termination end ofthe path. Thus, when a contact surface 22 of the object 20 engages acorresponding surface 82 of a touch screen, the touch screen (or deviceassociated with the touch screen) can detect the engagement, even in theabsence of human contact.

As shown in examples of FIGS. 1 and 2, the object 20 can include a bodyportion having a cylindrical shaped sidewall extending between opposingends of the body. At least a portion of one of the ends of the body ofthe object 20 defines the contact surface 22 that is configured toengage a corresponding surface 82 of the touch screen. In the example ofFIG. 2 the contact surface 22 of the object includes a protrusion (e.g.,a nipple) 23 that extends axially outwardly from the end surface, suchas from a generally central portion of the surface for engaging a touchscreen. Additionally, the body of object 20 can be solid, hollow or anycombination of solid and hollow.

Although the object 20 is illustrated as a right circular cylinderherein, it will be understood that such shape is shown only as anexample of a possible shape for the object 20. The object 20 can haveother cylindrical shapes as well as be a disk shape, for example, with aminimal intermediate sidewall portion (e.g., a short sidewall that isless than the diameter). In other examples, the object 20 can be apyramidal shape, a spherical shape, an irregular three dimensional shape(e.g., a chess piece), an irregular two dimensional shape or anothershape (e.g., a flat object such as a sticker or a disc) that can includethe contact surface 22 that can engage with the corresponding screensurface 82.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact surface 22 can be a generallyplanar surface that provides for flat mating engagement with the touchscreen surface as to hold the object in an upright position relative tothe touch screen. In other examples, the contact surface need not beflat, such as shown in FIGS. 3-5, which depict examples of contouredconfigurations of the contact surface 22, which might provide imbalanceand urge the object to fall over when placed on a flat surface. In theexample of FIG. 3, the contact surface 22 a and/or 22 b can be a convexend portion extending axially from an end of the object 20. As depictedin the example of FIG. 4, the contact surface 22 of object 20 caninclude a nipple shape (with a flat surface, as shown, or with, anon-flat surface such as pointed surface, a convex surface or concavesurface. As depicted in the example of FIG. 5, the contact surface 22 ofobject 20 can be a convex shape. The examples shown in FIGS. 1-5 are notmeant to be limiting; the contact surface 22 can be of a different shapethan the shapes illustrated as long as the engagement with thecorresponding surface 82 of the touch screen can be maintained(including maintaining the engagement with the support of a housingdevice) for at least a time period sufficient for detection. Asdisclosed herein, regardless of the configuration, the contact surfaceincludes an electrically conductive portion configured to engage thetouch screen, which electrically conductive portion is coupled to thetermination end 86 via the electrically conductive path. Differentlengths and configurations can be used for the path, as disclosedherein. Different types of termination ends can also be utilized, suchas depending on if the end 86 is to remain in free space or couple witha surface or plug into a connector port.

By way of example, referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact surface22 includes an electrically conductive portion of that establishes theelectrically conductive path 40 upon the engagement of the contactsurface 22 with the corresponding surface 82 of the touch screen. Theelectrically conductive portion together with the path are sufficient toalter capacitance such that the touch screen can detect the object 20engagement. As one example, the electrically conductive portion can be asize of a wire. As another example, the electrically conductive portioncan be the entire contact surface 22. The electrically conductiveportion can include a conductive material, such as a metal (e.g.,aluminum, stainless steel, gold, platinum, etc.), an electricallyconductive foam, an electrically conductive rubber, or otherelectrically conductive materials.

When the contact surface 22 engages with the corresponding surface 82 ofthe touch screen, an electron flow (e.g., low level current) can beestablished through the electrically conductive path 40 extending fromthe electrically conductive portion at the contact surface of the object20. For the example of a capacitive touch screen, the electron flow isestablished through the electrically conductive path 40 in an amountsufficient to evoke a change in electrical properties of the touchscreen for the engagement to be detected by the touch screen. Forinstance, the electrically conductive path 40 extending from the pointof contact with the touch screen surface can be configured to cause achange in capacitance at the touch screen in response to contact by theobject.

As an example, the electrically conductive path can correspond to alength (e.g., about 5 inches or more) and terminate in a free end 86that provides a path for flow of electrons from the contact surface 22of the object. In such example, the path can terminate in air but be ofsufficient length to establish a change in capacitance with respect tothe touch screen when the object engages the touch. As another example,the electrically conductive path 40 can extend from the contact surface22 to a physical electrical ground 86, such as a port of the touchscreen device, an earth ground source, the human user or a case of thetouch screen device.

As yet another example, the contact surface 22 can be electricallyconnected with a contact 24 of the object 20. The contact 24 can beconfigured to physical interface with a corresponding contact of anotherdevice (see, e.g., housing 60 of FIG. 10) to create a portion of theelectrically conductive path 40 from the touch screen and through theobject 20. Examples of contact 24 are illustrated in FIGS. 6-9.

As shown in FIG. 6, the contact 24 can be included on a portion of anouter surface of the body of the object 20. It will be understood thatthe contact 24 can also include a plurality of discrete contactsdistributed axially along the exterior surface of the body of the objectof the type as depicted in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the contact 24can be a conductive material wrapped or coiled around the sidewall ofthe object 20. For example, the contact 24 can be a conductive bushingthat is electrically connected with the contact surface. In someinstances, the object 20 need not touch (e.g., make physical contactwith) the contact 24. For example, a small air gap or a piece ofdielectric material can separate the object 20 from the contact 24turning the object from a conductor physically connected to the contact24 to a capacitor that does not touch the contact, but instead isseparated from the contact by a dielectric. In this example embodiment,one side of the capacitor (the object 20) can be conductively linked tothe touch screen and the other side of the capacitor (the contact 24)can be electrically grounded with respect to the touch screen.

As used herein, it is understood that the surface of the touch screencan refer to the actual physical surface of the touch screen or it canrefer to one or more layers of a coating or film that may be providedonto or supported over the screen (e.g., supported by the housing orother frame that is placed onto the touch screen surface) or otherwisesecured to the touch screen. For example, the one or more layers ofcoating or film can be formed of an electrically conductive material.The layer of electrically conductive material can be mechanicallysuspended above the screen in its normal state so as not to contact thescreen. The layer of electrically conductive material can besufficiently pliant to be biased into engagement with the screen surfacewhen an object (e.g., the object 20, such as a peg) is placed on thelayer of electrically conductive material. As an example, the layercould be implemented as a stretchable sheet of a material, such as awoven or non-woven fabric material that exhibits high elasticity, suchas spandex or elastane, although other elastic panels of conformablematerial can be utilized (e.g., similar to that used in some athleticclothing or pantyhose). The stretchable fabric layer can be formed of asynthetic, natural or combination of synthetic and natural materials,which itself can be electrically conductive or which can be coated withan electrically conductive material. The layer of material issufficiently pliant that the mass/weight of the object can itself urgethe layer of electrically conductive material into engagement with thetouch screen. The layer of electrically conductive material can beconnected to an electrical ground as disclosed herein, to provide anelectrically conductive path extending from the corresponding surface ofthe touch screen for flow of electrons sufficient to effect a change incapacitance. Since the change in capacitance remains persistent whilethe object remains on the layer, the presence of object can becontinually detected even after it is released by the user.

In some the examples, such as shown in FIGS. 1-5 and 8, the entireobject or at least the outer surface thereof can be of electricallyconductive material such that the contact can correspond to any part ofthe object's surface. A shown in FIG. 8, the object 20 can be made of asingle unitary structure of an electrically conductive material. In theexample of FIG. 9, at least a portion of the object 20 can be coated ina conductive material. The conductive material of the contact 24 can beany material (e.g., a metal like aluminum, stainless steel, platinum,gold, etc.) that can facilitate the transmission of an electric chargefrom the touch screen when the object is placed thereupon.

An example housing 60 is depicted in FIG. 10. As mentioned, the contact24 of the object 20 can interface with a contact 64 of the housing 60such that the electrically conductive path 40 extends from the object 20to the housing 60. The housing can further include one or moreelectrically conductive paths that can be connected to extend beyond thehousing 60. The housing 60 includes a substrate is that dimensioned andconfigured to cover at least a substantial portion of a touch screenwhen the housing 60 is placed on the touch screen. The substrate can betransparent so that the housing 60 does not obscure the touch screen andthe screen is visible through the substrate. However, in situationswhere vision of the touch screen is unnecessary, the housing 60 can beopaque or semi-opaque. The housing 60 can also include an attachmentmechanism 66 such that the housing 60 can be held attached to the touchscreen when the housing 60 is placed on the touch screen. For example,the attachment mechanism 66 can include a material that establishes aremovable attachment to the touch screen (e.g., an adhesive or amechanical latch).

The substrate includes a sidewall portion that extends between opposingside surfaces of the substrate. One or more apertures 62 extends throughthe substrate between the first and second surfaces such that thesurface of the touch screen is exposed through each aperture 62. Theaperture 62 includes a contact 64 on an interior sidewall thereof. Theaperture 62 is configured to receive the object 20 within the aperturesuch that the contact 24 of the object 20 interfaces with the contact 64of the housing 80. Different configurations of the contact surface 22,as disclosed herein, can help facilitate the interface between contacts24 and 64. The aperture 62 is further configured (e.g., a cylindricalthrough-hole) to support the object 20 to maintain the engagementbetween the contact surface 22 and the touch screen. In some examples,the housing can also include an electrical connector 68 that canestablish portion of the electrical conductive path 40 between thecontact 64 and a ground 86 (e.g., part of the touch screen device orelectrical ground).

The support of the aperture 62 is especially important when the contactsurface 22 is not flat (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3-5). The aperture 62can have an inner diameter sufficient to maintain the engagement betweenthe contact surface 22 and the touch screen (e.g., the aperture 62 canhave an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of theobject 20. For instance, the inner diameter of the aperture 62 can be ofa size such that object can freely fit therein so that the contactsurface 22 can engage the touch screen when dropped or pushed into theaperture. Depending on the configuration of the contact surface, cantilt within the aperture 62 such that the contact 24 maintains contactwith the contact 64 of the aperture 62. It will be understood that theaperture 62 need not be oval-shaped. Instead, the interior of theaperture 62 can be a shape that corresponds to the cross-sectional shapeof the object 20 to facilitate the engagement between the contactsurface 22 and the touch screen.

As mentioned, the housing 60 can include a plurality of aperturesextending through the substrate between the first and second surfaces toexpose the touch screen through the apertures. Each of the plurality ofapertures can include a respective contact disposed along an interiorsidewall, which contact can extend circumferentially a predetermined arclength up to the entire periphery of the aperture. An example of thehousing 60 with two apertures 62 a, 62 b with corresponding contacts 64a, 64 b is shown in FIGS. 11-13. The housing with the plurality ofapertures can be used in connection with a plurality of objects, forexample, when the touch screen possesses multi-touch capability (or theability to detect two or more objects on the touch screen concurrently).

As depicted in FIGS. 11-13, the housing 60 with the two apertures 62 a,62 b, each including corresponding contacts 64 a, 64 b, can have anelectrical connection 64 c that facilitates the flow of electronsbetween each the two contacts 64 a, 64 b to an end of the connection.Thus when an object, as disclosed herein, is inserted into a givenaperture 62 a, 62 b, an electrical path is established from the contactsurface of the object to the respective contact 64 a, 64 b and to theconnector 68. The electrical connection 64 c electrically connects eachof the contacts to the connector to facilitate creating a correspondingelectrical path, as disclosed herein. The housing 60 can be attached tothe touch screen via attachment mechanisms 66 a and/or 66 b. It will beunderstood that the attachment mechanism is not confined to the extendedrectangular shape as shown in FIG. 13. Instead, the attachment mechanismcan be of a different shape or size that leads to the attachment of thehousing 60 to the touch screen (e.g., tabs or feet).

FIG. 14 depicts an example isometric exploded view of a system 50 thatincludes an object 20, a housing 60 and a computing device 80. Theobject and housing provide a mechanism that enables the object 20 to beplaced on a touch-sensitive surface 82 and supported by the housing 60and still be detected by the touch screen in the absence of humancontact. The touch-sensitive surface 82 provides a human-machineinterface for the computing device 80.

A schematic block diagram of the system 50 is depicted in FIG. 15. Thetouch screen device 80 (can include at least a memory that storesmachine-readable instructions and a processor that accesses the memoryfor execution of the machine-readable instructions. The memory can be anon-transitory memory configured to store the machine readableinstructions and/or data. The memory could be implemented, for example,as volatile memory (e.g., RAM), nonvolatile memory (e.g., a hard disk,flash memory, a solid state drive or the like) or combination of both.The processor (e.g., a processor core) can be configured in foraccessing the memory and executing the machine-readable instructions.The device 80 can also include a controller that is able to determinethe position of an object in response to detecting a change incapacitance in the touch screen.

By way of example, the memory can store a variety of machine-readableinstructions and data, including an operating system, one or moreapplication programs, other program modules, and program data. The oneor more application programs can include user interface (HMI) that canrespond to an engagement between the contact surface 22 of the object 20and touch-sensitive surface 82. The user interface can be provided asincluding a graphical user interface (GUI) via a touch-sensitive surfaceor an associated display. The HMI can allow a user, such as a patient,to interact with the computing device 80. For example, the user caninteract with the HMI through the object 20 that can be detected by thetouch screen device 80 when engaged with the touch-sensitive surface 82without requiring continuing contact by the user. Thus, when the userreleases the object, it is still detected by the computing device 80(e.g., by causing a detectable change in capacitance). As used herein, auser can refer to any living subject (e.g., adult or child), aphysician, a physician assistant, a medical student, an advancedpractice registered nurse, a veterinarian, a medical researcher, oranother type of health care provider.

The GUI can include one or more GUI elements (e.g., HMI element 84 inFIG. 14) that are aligned with the one or more apertures (e.g., aperture62 of the housing 60). The detection is based on the sufficient electronflow through the electrically conductive path. As an example, the GUIelements can include a graphic element 84 that can be renderedgraphically by the touch screen 84 and seen through the aperture 62. Ifthe housing is transparent, the graphic element can be seen through thehousing as well. In response to detecting the engagement of the contactsurface 22 of the object 20 and the surface 82, a processor can beprogrammed to change a visual aspect of the surface 82 (e.g., the colorof graphic contact surface 82 can change) to indicate that theengagement is detected. This can vary depending on applicationrequirements. The device 80 can also generate an audible sound inresponse to such contact.

When the contact surface 22 of the object 20 engages with the screen 82,the processor can detect the engagement due to a sensed change incapacitance that remains even in the absence of human contact with theobject 20 (e.g., based on the sufficient flow of electrons through theelectrically conductive path). As depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15, theelectrically conductive path starts at the engagement between thecontact surface 22 of the object 20, extends through the object 20 tocontact 24. Contact 24 interfaces with contact 64 of the housing, andthe path further extends to the electrical connector 68. Theelectrically conductive path 40 can extend from the housing 60 to theground 86, which can be a port (e.g., a USB port, an audio output port,an audio input port or the like) on the touch screen device 80, a caseof the touch screen device 80, a tether to the user or an earth groundsource that is not affiliated with the touch screen device. In anotherembodiment, the electrically conductive path 40 can extend into the aira distance that can establish sufficient current flow to altercapacitance at the contact area and thereby enable the detection of thecontact by the touch screen.

As a further example, the HMI elements can correspond to a medical test.The processor can be configured to determine a score related to themedical test based on a scoring function with the detection of theengagement between the contact surface 22 of the object 20 and thescreen 82 as an input. The engagement can be located at the GUI element84 can be seen through the aperture 62 of the housing 60. The score cancorrespond to a disease status represented by the medical test. Thedisease status can refer to a degree of progression of a disease, adiagnosis of a disease, an indication of normal function, a progresswith regard to a training program, or the like. The score can be storedin the memory, and further analysis of the disease status can beundertaken based on the score. For example, the score can be combinedwith scores from other tests to create a complete score representing thedisease status. The test data can also be transmitted to anothercomputer via a network.

By way of further example, the medical test can be an upper extremityfunction test (e.g., a nine-hole peg test 9HPT) and the disease statuscan be related to multiple sclerosis. In this example, a pegboard (e.g.,transparent plastic housing machined with a series of apertures) can beoverlaid on a consumer electronics device with a capacitive touch screen(e.g., an iPad® or other tablet computer or computer having a touchscreen). Objects (or markers, pegs, dowels of a conductive material) areplaced in the holes of the pegboard, where they are allowed to touch thecapacitive touch screen of the consumer electronics device. The consumerelectronics device runs an application programmed to register eachobject as it touches or is removed from the screen. The fit between theobjects and the apertures (or the contact of the aperture, such as ametal or other electrically conductive material bushing) is sufficientlyclose to provide a conductive link. In other examples, the objects neednot physically touch the respective contacts of the apertures and,instead, can have a small air gap or other dielectric material (e.g.,tape, film or the like) separating the objects and the contacts of theapertures to form a capacitor with one leg conductively linked to thetouch screen and the other electrically grounded.

The contacts of the apertures in the housing are each linked to a groundsource (e.g., the grounding pin of the 3.5 mm or other headphone jack ofthe consumer electronics device, the housing or an earth ground).Because a circuit is created between the touch screen and the ground(e.g., through the object and the housing), the capacitive touch screencan recognize the object as an input even after it is released by theuser. As disclosed herein, in some instances, a sufficient circuit canbe established in the absence of the object physically touching thecontact of the aperture. For example, a small air gap or a piece ofdielectric material can be disposed to separate the object 20 from thecontact of the aperture. In this way the conductive link of the previousexample is replaced with a capacitive coupling by using a dielectricmaterial to separate the object and the contact. In this case, one sideof the capacitor (the object 20) can be conductively linked to the touchscreen and the other side of the capacitor (the contact of the aperture)can be electrically grounded.

In view of the foregoing structural and functional features describedabove, a method in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention will be better appreciated with reference to FIG. 16. While,for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the method of FIG. 16 isshown and described as executing serially, it is to be understood andappreciated that the present invention is not limited by the illustratedorder, as some aspects could, in accordance with the present invention,occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other aspects fromthat shown and described herein. Moreover, not all illustrated featuresmay be required to implement a methodology in accordance with an aspectof the present invention. It will be appreciated that some or all ofeach of these methods can be implemented as machine-readableinstructions on a non-transitory computer readable medium. Themachine-readable instructions can be provided to the processor (e.g., ofthe touch screen device) to produce a machine, for execution, such thatthe instructions can implement the functions specified in the blocks ofthe flowchart depicting the method 1000.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a method 1000 for recognizing anengagement between an object (e.g., object 20, as shown in any one ofFIGS. 1-9, 14, and 15) and a touch screen (e.g., touch screen 80, asshown in any one of FIGS. 14 and 15) in the absence of human contact. At1010, the touch screen is engaged with a contact surface of an object(e.g., contact surface 22, as shown in any one of FIGS. 1-9, 14, and15). At 1020, an electrically conductive path (e.g., path 40, as shownin any one of FIGS. 1, 10, 14, and 15) is established that extends fromthe engagement of the contact surface and the touch screen to atermination (e.g., in air or an electrical ground). The electricallyconductive path allows for electrons (in an amount sufficient fordetection) to flow through the electrically conductive path in theabsence of human contact. At 1030, the engagement of the contact surfaceand the touch screen is detected (e.g., by a device associated with thetouch screen that includes a non-transitory memory and a processor),such as based on a change in capacitance detected at the point or pointsof contact between each object placed on the screen through the housing.In some instances, an electrically conductive portion of each object canphysically engage with an electrically conductive portion of thehousing. In other instances, each object need not touch the electricallyconductive portion of the housing. For example, a small air gap or apiece of dielectric material can separate the object 20 from the contact24 with a dielectric material creating a capacitive coupling between theobject and the contact. Thus, in this case, one side of the capacitor(the object) can be conductively linked to the touch screen and theother side of the capacitor (the contact of the corresponding apertureof the housing) can be electrically grounded.

In view of the foregoing, the device, system and methods disclosedherein can be used in assessing upper extremity function in variousdisease populations. Such use can provide additional data to supportresearch and rehab when compared to the standard testing (e.g., standard9 hole peg test). For example, when used with a touch screen device,clinicians and researchers can break the complex task of upper extremityfunction in to finer resolution data points such as grasping, insertionof pegs, removal of pegs and upper extremity movement speeds. From theseadditional data, innovative outcome measures can be developed such asthe ratio of insertion versus removal time, learning or fatiguethroughout the course of the assessment or pattern of peg insertion andremoval.

Additionally, a dual-task upper extremity and cognition task that couldeasily be built around the same apparatus. Such combined testing canrender graphical a moving target that the patient would need to followby placing pegs on the screen. Further, this approach could be used tofacilitate the use of assistive devices for those with movementdisorders or upper extremity amputee's as their fixture typically do notregister on capacitive screens. Such applications have demand frombiomechanics, rehab and drug therapy perspectives.

What have been described above are examples. It is, of course, notpossible to describe every conceivable combination of components ormethodologies, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatmany further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly,the invention is intended to embrace all such alterations,modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of thisapplication, including the appended claims. As used herein, the term“includes” means includes but not limited to, the term “including” meansincluding but not limited to. The term “based on” means based at leastin part on. Additionally, where the disclosure or claims recite “a,”“an,” “a first,” or “another” element, or the equivalent thereof, itshould be interpreted to include one or more than one such element,neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: an object comprising a bodyhaving opposing ends, at least one of the opposing ends defining acontact surface configured to engage a corresponding touch-sensitivesurface; and an electrically conductive path extending from thecorresponding touch-sensitive surface, the electrically conductive pathbeing configured to provide for sufficient electrons to flow from thetouch-sensitive surface through the electrically conductive path toenable detection thereof by the touch-sensitive surface when the contactsurface engages the touch-sensitive surface in absence of human contactwith the object during such engagement.
 2. The device of claim 1,wherein at least a portion of the contact surface comprises a conductivematerial.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductivepath is configured to establish an electrical ground potential relativeto the touch-sensitive surface.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein theelectrically conductive path extends a distance from the contact surfaceof the object sufficient to establish an electrical path from thecontact surface to a termination end of the electrically conductive pathspaced apart from the contact surface.
 5. The device of claim 3, whereinthe electrically conductive path extends from the contact surface of theobject to a port of a computing device that includes the touch-sensitivesurface.
 6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housingcomprising a substrate dimensioned and configured to cover at least asubstantial portion of touch-sensitive surface when placed thereon, thesubstrate including a sidewall portion extending between opposingsurfaces thereof, at least one aperture extending through the substratebetween the first and second surfaces and to expose the touch-sensitivesurface through the aperture, the at least one aperture being configuredto receive the object therein and support the object to maintain theengagement when the engagement is established.
 7. The device of claim 6,wherein the body of the object further comprises an elongatedintermediate sidewall portion extending between the opposed endsthereof, at least one contact disposed along an exterior surface of theintermediate sidewall portion of the body, the at least one contact ofthe object configured to engage a corresponding contact located on aninterior sidewall of the aperture when the object is received in theaperture.
 8. The device of claim 7, wherein the object further comprisesa ring disposed along at least a portion of the exterior surface of theintermediate sidewall portion of the body and the ring comprises the atleast one contact of the object.
 9. The device of claim 7, wherein theentire exterior surface of the intermediate sidewall portion of the bodycomprises a conductive material to establish the at least one contact.10. The device of claim 9, wherein the contact surface of at least oneof the opposing ends comprises a non-flat portion extending axiallytherefrom to provide imbalance to the object.
 11. The device of claim 7,wherein the housing comprises a plurality of apertures extending throughthe substrate between the first and second surfaces and to expose thetouch-sensitive surface through the apertures, each of the aperturescomprising a respective contact member disposed along the interiorsidewall thereof, a connector being electrically connected to eachrespective contact member disposed along the interior of each of theplurality of apertures.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein thetouch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen configured to providehuman machine interface elements aligned with the apertures.
 13. Thedevice of claim 12, further comprising a processor configured to detectthe engagement between the contact surface and the touch screen based onthe sufficient electron flow through the electrically conductive path.14. The device of claim 13, wherein the human machine interface elementscorrespond to a medical test, and the processor is configured todetermine a score for the medical test corresponding to a disease statusbased on the engagement.
 15. A system, comprising: a housing comprisinga substrate dimensioned and configured to cover at least a substantialportion of a touch screen when placed thereon, the substrate including asidewall portion extending between opposing surfaces thereof, aplurality of apertures extending through the substrate between the firstand second surfaces, each of the plurality of apertures being configuredto receive an object therein and to maintain engagement between a distalend of the object and the touch screen; at least one contact disposedalong an interior of each of the plurality of apertures, the at leastone contact being configured to form an electrical connection with acorresponding contact along an exterior surface of the object; aconnector extending from the substrate, the connector being electricallyconnected with each contact disposed along the interior of each of theplurality of apertures.
 16. The system if claim 15, further comprisingan attachment mechanism configured to removably attach the substrate toa device comprising the touch screen.
 17. The system of claim 15,wherein the connector is configured to establish an electricallyconductive path extending from the contact between the distal end of theobject and the touch screen and through the at least one contact of thehousing and configured to provide for sufficient electrons to flow fromthe touch screen through the electrically conductive path to enabledetection thereof by the touch screen when the contact surface engagesthe touch screen in absence of human contact with the object during suchengagement.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the electricalconnection comprises a dielectric material that separates the object andthe at least one contact to provide a capacitive coupling in theelectrical connection in which the object is conductive and the at leastone contact is electrically grounded.
 19. A method, comprising: engaginga touch-sensitive surface with a contact surface of an object, theobject comprising a body having opposing ends, one of the opposing endsdefining the contact surface; and establishing an electricallyconductive path extending from the engagement to allow for sufficientelectrons to flow from the touch-sensitive surface through theelectrically conductive path to enable detection of the engagement bythe touch-sensitive surface in absence of human contact with the objectduring such engagement.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:stabilizing the object during the engagement by a housing surroundingthe object, wherein the housing comprises at least one contactconfigured to electrically connect with a corresponding contact on anexterior surface of the object; and establishing the electricallyconductive path through the at least one contact of the housing.